In 1960 Brazil did something few countries ever do: it moved its capital to a brand-new city, built in under four years in the middle of nowhere. Brasília was designed to pull people and money inland, away from the crowded coast. That's one of the surprises in South America, a continent of twelve independent countries.
The twelve
| Country | Capital |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| Bolivia | Sucre (constitution) and La Paz (government) |
| Brazil | Brasília |
| Chile | Santiago |
| Colombia | Bogotá |
| Ecuador | Quito |
| Guyana | Georgetown |
| Paraguay | Asunción |
| Peru | Lima |
| Suriname | Paramaribo |
| Uruguay | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Caracas |
French Guiana is on the map too, but it isn't a country: it's part of France, so it's even part of the European Union.
Patterns that help
- High in the Andes: Bogotá (about 2,600 m), Quito (about 2,850 m) and La Paz (over 3,600 m) are among the highest capitals in the world.
- Languages: most countries speak Spanish, but Brazil speaks Portuguese, Guyana English and Suriname Dutch.
- Landlocked: only Bolivia and Paraguay have no coast.
- Brazil borders every other country except two: Chile and Ecuador.
Easy ones to mix up
- Brazil: Brasília, not Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo.
- Ecuador: Quito, not Guayaquil, the bigger port city.
- Bolivia: two answers, and both are right in different ways.
Try it
Say each capital before you flip, then try them the other way round. Where in the world would you find a capital city on the equator? (Quito sits only about 25 km south of it.)